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Finland
The Republic of Finland (Suomi in Finnish) is a country in northern Europe, sometimes considered to be part of Scandinavia. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland. The capital city is Helsinki. Finland was part of Sweden from 1249 to 1809, when it became an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. Finland's declaration of independence from Russia in 1917 was followed by a civil war. During World War II, Finland fought two wars against the Soviet Union, and, as a consequence, Finland became a co-belligerent with Nazi Germany for a time. In 1944, Finland made peace with the USSR and fought Germany. Finland joined the United Nations in 1955, the OECD in 1969, and the European Union in 1995. Finland in Curious Notions In the alternate designated as 3477 by Crosstime Traffic, Germany established a puppet kingdom in Finland, carved out of defeated Russia, after winning an abbreviated World War I.Curious Notions, pg. 19. Finland in The Hot War Finland was neutral during World War III, although it had closer ties to the Soviet Union than it did to the West. In 1952, the final year of the war, American bombers essentially violated Finnish airspace as part of Operation Long Reach. Happily, the Finns did not alert the Soviets.Armistice, pg. 73-75, HC. Finland in In the Presence of Mine Enemies Finland was one of the independent allies of the [[Germany (In the Presence of Mine Enemies)|Greater German Reich]].''In the Presence of Mine Enemies'', pg. 25 In 2011, the government of Finland decried the SS led Putsch against reform-minded Führer Heinz Buckliger.Ibid., pg. 422 Finland in Southern Victory Finland was a province of the Russian Empire until the Second Great War. It was a restive province as Finnish nationalists fought a resistance movement against the Russians. The Finns were supported by Germany in this effort, and the members of the Central Powers promised to grant diplomatic recognition to an independent Finland in 1943.The Grapple, pg. 566.See also Inconsistencies in Turtledove's Work#Inconsistencies in Southern Victory. Finland in The Two Georges Finland was under the rule of the Russian Empire in 1995.Map, The Two Georges, frontispiece. Finland in The War That Came Early Finland remained neutral when the Second World War broke out in 1938, and continued to remain aloof from the war when Germany invaded its fellow Nordic countries Denmark and Norway in mid-1939. Although Britain and France had moved forces into Norway to help stall the German advance, they would receive no aid from Finland. After the German conquest of Norway only a thin slice of Finnish territory separated the German-occupied nation from the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin, who had predicted this outcome, also announced that he did not think Finland, with "reactionary" Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim as its de facto leader would remain neutral. This suggested that Stalin was considering invading Finland before the Germans did.West and East, pg. 423. However, by mid-1940, "the big switch" had taken place, and the USSR found itself fighting not only Germany and Poland, but also its former allies, Britain and France. Thus, Mannerheim was able to continue to influence Finland's decision to remain neutral (albeit with German leanings) through 1940 and into 1941.Coup d'Etat, pg. 51, HC. When the war ended in 1944, Finland was host to the Lithuanian government-in-exile after the latter's annexation by the Soviet Union.Last Orders, pg. 373-74, HC. Finland in Worldwar The Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939. Finland resisted Soviet conquest, but took heavy losses and was forced to make unfair concessions. In 1941, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in World War II, Finland aligned itself with the Axis and invaded formerly Finnish Soviet territories. It suspended this invasion when the Race's Conquest Fleet invaded Earth in 1942. Politically, Finland was something was a point of friction between Germany and the Soviet Union throughout much of the fighting against the Race.See, generally, In the Balance. In the frigid polar regions and under German protection, Finland was allowed to remain independent under the terms of the Peace of Cairo in 1944.Second Contact, pg. 117. Finland was a political ally of Germany. Unlike other German allies, Finland jealously and successfully guarded its sovereignty. It refused to participate in the Race-German War of 1965, for example, but the war left Finland without a powerful ally. When the Soviet Union issued an ultimatum for Finnish territory that it had claimed before the Race's arrival, the Finnish government responded by inviting the Race to establish a permanent military base within Finnish territory, while Finland itself maintained its political autonomy. Upon learning this from personally from Finnish Ambassador Urho Kekkonen, Soviet General-Secretary Vyacheslav Molotov withdrew the ultimatum, and squashed plans for similar ultimata to other countries.Aftershocks, pg. 143-145. References Category:Countries in Europe Category:Axis Members (OTL) Category:Axis Members (Alternate Timeline) Category:Central Powers Members (Alternate Timeline) Category:Curious Notions Category:German Empire (Alternate Timeline) Category:The Hot War Category:In the Presence of Mine Enemies Category:Inconsistencies Category:Russian Empire (OTL) Category:Russian Empire (Alternate Timeline) Category:Southern Victory Category:The Two Georges Category:The War That Came Early Category:Worldwar